21 Seconds
by darkangel9314
Summary: After a car crash takes all her friends lives, Elena is left as the only sole survivor who has to pick up the pieces.
1. Chapter 1

21 Seconds

Chapter 1

Elena winced as she opened her eyes trying to remember what happened. It all happened in twenty one seconds. One moment her and her friends were all in Matt's car driving to a concert out of town and the next minute they were here. Where was here? She had to look around and find out, but from what she was seeing at the moment it didn't look good.

The windows of the car were smashed out as glass sprayed over the whole road. Wait, the road. Why was she looking at the road. She looked up and saw her feet on the floor of the car. Wait the car. Now it was all coming back to her. They had crashed and the car must had flipped over on impact. She started breathing really fast. She didn't know why they crashed, but she knew she had to wake everyone up so they could get out of there. If there was a way out of here.

She looked over to the driver's side and chocked back a scream. Matt was there with a huge piece of glass lunged in his neck and another one through his skull. Blood caressed his face and his eyes were wide open. She choked back her vomit and tried really hard to turn her neck to see her other friends. She really wished she hadn't, because this would be haunting her memories for the rest of her life.

She saw her friend Bonnie's neck in an unnatural position. She was terrified to look anywhere else, but she knew she had to. She turned her neck a little more wincing at the pain of it all. She let out a scream when she saw what her brother looked like. He had glass all over his body and his throat was slit open. Tears spilled down her eyes as she looked away. She just wondered where Tyler and Caroline were. She didn't see them anywhere in the car. All she knew was that she had to get out of there before something else happened.

She tried to get her seat belt off, but it just wouldn't budge. She cried. She wanted to get out of there. All her friends in the car were dead or just barely holding on by a thread. What was worse was that she couldn't feel her legs. She looked around and found a piece of glass. She put it on the seatbelt and it finally released her. She grunted as she tried to move her legs. They wouldn't work.

Tears slipped down her eyes as she crawled out of the car and screamed. Caroline was outside of the car halfway through one of the many windows. Cuts were all over her face and she was bleeding out and bruised everywhere. A piece of glass was sticking out of her back. If she wasn't dead Elena would be surprised.

She had to gt out of here. She had no idea how badly injured she was and if any of her friends were alive they would need serious help. Elena put her hand to her face and pulled it back to reveal a lot of blood. She needed help before she died too. She just needed a plan or for someone to come. She didn't know where Tyler was, but she sure hoped he was alright.

Elena crawled out onto the road and by some miracle a car was going by this dirt road. She waved her hands as the car approached closer. It stopped and they guy driving stepped out and ran over towards her.

"Are you hurt?"

She nodded. She wasn't really sure how badly she was injured, but she knew that her legs weren't working. He examined her.

"Oh my God." he said.

She knew that wasn't a good sign. He placed her head on his lap and pulled out his phone.

"Stay with me. I'll get some help."

Elena nodded even though it hurt to do so. She finally let the tears fall knowing that this would be the day that would forever change her life.


	2. Chapter 2

21 Seconds

Chapter 2

Elena winced, everything in her body hurt and all she wanted to do was not open her eyes, but something deep down inside her knew that she had to wake up. She had to know what was going on. At first she struggled to get her eyes open, but after a few attempts she finally got somewhere.

White light flooded her eyes as she winced looking around. She wasn't in a room that she recognized Where the hell was she?

She looked down to see tubes and needles attached to her. A consistent beeping triggered something within her. She was in the hospital, but what had happened to put her there. She looked around there wasn't a person in sight. She had to figure out what the hell had happened to her.

She cried out trying to reach for the call button. She had no clue why she was in here or why she couldn't use her legs. She needed answers and she needed a lot of them. After a lot effort she finally reached the call button and a nurse came rushing in with a look of amazement in her eyes.

"Where am I?" she asked her.

Her vision as a little blurry in one eye, but she could still see that the nurse had a look of symptohy in her eyes. What was that about?

Elena was about to ask her again, when her parents came in.

"Oh baby, You're awake." her mother said hugging her.

She winced, but it was good to see a familiar face. Maybe she had some answers.

"Mom? What-What happened?"

"Oh baby. You-you don't remember?"

Elena shook her head trying to search her memory but nothing was coming back to her. Her mother clasped her hands in hers and looked at the nurse.

"Can you go get the doctor? He can answer some questions for her that we can't."

The nurse nodded and walked away as quickly as possible.

"Mom."

"The doctors will explain everything baby."

Elena nodded wincing the slightest bit. She wasn't sure what happened but she knew that she would get a little bit of answers from the doctor.

Five minutes had passed before the doctor stepped into her room. She sighed finally someone would give her some answers. She tried to sit up but like the last time it took a lot of effort. Yet another question she could ask the doctor.

"Good Evening Elena, how are we feeling?"

Elena looked at her mom confused, but her mother gave her a look of encouragement to go ahead and tell the doctor everything. At least what she could remember anyway.

"Not all too good. I don't really remember much and I'm struggling to move my legs. I also don't know why i'm here. I was hoping you could tell me."

"Memory loss is common after a severe trauma-"

"Severe trauma?"

"You were involved in an accident Ms. Gilbert."

"What kind of accident?" she looked over to her mother. " What is he talking about mom?"

"Baby you were involved in a car accident. Do you not remember any of this?"

"No-"

Her mother looked at the doctor.

"Like I said memory loss is common in trauma patients."

"What happened?"

"It's not a good idea to push her to remember things."

"Please, I need to know what happened to me."

The doctor nodded.

"Well according to the accident report you and five others were involved in a car crash. A Pedstrain spotted you in a conscious state before you passed out from your trauma. We ran in some tests and we have your diagnosis. "

"What's-What's wrong with me?"

"Unfortunately the trauma from the crash did some extensive damage to your spine."

"What does that mean?"

"It means the damage to your spine has caused paralysis in both your legs."

"Which mean I'm paralyzed?"

"Yes. Also-"

"There's more than that?"

"Unfortunately this crash did a lot to you Ms. Gilbert, I'm just trying to inform you of what you're walking out of here with."

Elena nodded. This doctor defiantly wasn't the warm and fuzzy type.

"Go on."

"Also your right eye suffered some damage in the crash. We had to remove fragments of glass from it, but your vision will be impaired for a while."

"Will it be the same way with my legs?"

"I'm afraid it's still too soon to tell. It could be 6 months or you could never walk again. These cases are tricky and there's no telling what's going to happen. "

She nodded. This was all starting to overwhelm her but she needed to know more.

"Is that all the damage?"

"We're still running test."

"What about my friends?"

"I think I've told you enough for one day. Your body can';t handle anymore stress."

"Please. I-I need to know."

The doctor took a deep breath and looked at her mother she nodded as her mother stroked her hair as a calming gesture. She always did that when she was trying to calm Elena down.

"Mom."

"They-They didn't make it sweetheart."

"Is- Is that why you're not with Jeremy?"

Her mother nodded crying. Elena shut her eyes as if when she opened them this would all be a bad dream.

"You-You're telling me that everyone is dead?"

"Yes." the doctor said.

Elena's throat closed up as the edges of her vision darkened. This time she didn't care if she opened them again, because her life had now turned from a dream to a nightmare.


	3. Chapter 3

21 Seconds

Chapter 3

They say the worst day of your life is the day you lose everything. For Elena Gilbert today was that day . Normally going to one funeral was enough for anyone, but something about going to five that would just send someone over their edge.

After attending four funerals, Elena told herself that it might get easier, that somehow her pain of losing everybody she ever cared about would ease, but it never got easier. Everything that everyone had always told her was a lie. But today was a tougher act to follow. Today was her little brothers funeral. And it was always family that was the hardest to say goodbye to. She just couldn't do anymore of this.

Tears streamed down her face as she listened to her mother tell stories of when Jeremy was younger. Her mother seemed so composed up there on that podium even though she knew everything inside of her was breaking. Just like she was. Elena wiped her tears when her mother finished and sighed. It was now her turn to speak.

With wobbling legs, Elena tried to stand up a little straighter as she made her way to the podium. Her mother gave her a squeeze of encouragement as she went back to her seat. Elena looked out to the audience and took a deep breath.

"They say that the hardest day of loving someone is the day that you lose them. I remember the day that my parents told me that they were bringing a new addition into our family. A brother for me to be exact. At first I didn't want a brother, because I wanted to be the only person my parents paid attention to. And than despite all my protest. Mom had Jeremy and we were closer than any brother and sister could be. We would race each other in the park and look for monsters in the attic. We never really knew that life would end up like this. I never thought that I would ever end up losing my brother in this cruel and unusual way. I will spend the rest of my life missing him. And I hope that some day we'll meet each other again."

Elena stumbled a little getting from the podium and outside the chapel. There was something about being in there that didn't seem right anymore. Just like there was something wrong about her being alive anymore. Why had she been granted the chance to live when everyone else in the car had been killed. She knew what she had to do to fix that. Even if her parents wouldn't understand.

Elena took another deep breath and climbed up the stairs to the church roof with effort. The doctors said she would need intense psychical therapy and more test after that that would cost her parents possibly millions in medical expenses. She couldn't do that to her parents. Not after all they've been through.

She shoved the door open and took a deep breath as she wobbled slightly to the edge. The church bells rung as she stepped closer to the edge. The images of the car crash passed through her mind. A silent scream tore through her as she lifted her foot. This was the only way to get her brain to shut up. This was the only way she could get her demons to shut up.

Elena was so close to release when she felt a pair of arms pulling her back. She screamed and clawed at the person's arms. They had to let her go. She had to get out of this hell that she was in. She shoved and clawed until the person who had caught her pinned her to the ground. She stared into the deep blue eyes of the guy who had saved her from the crash. Who the hell was this guy anyway her guardian angel? Well he could go screw himself. She kneed him in the groin and ran towards the edge again but by the time she reached it she heard the voices of her family down below. Her parents looked up at her in terror as she stared at their devastated faces.

Confusion conflicted her thoughts as she took another deep breath. She had to do this. She had to end it all to stop it all. She couldn't live like this. It wasn't fair.

"Elena." The man with the beautiful blue eyes said.

She could tell he was being cautious, but nothing he could do now would stop her. Nothing could replace her friends in her heart. She wanted them to live. Why had God taken them away from her that easily.

"Nothing you say could change my mind. Do you have any idea what I'm going through?"

"I lost my mother when I was thirteen, but I know nothing could be more painful than losing almost everyone you love in a matter of seconds."

"Exactly so now you see why I have to do this."

"No I don't."

She turned around to look at the beautiful man once more before turning back to her dilemma.

"Why do you not understand? My friends died"

"But you didn't"

"That;s the problem."

"No it;s not the problem. The way you're thinking is the problem."

"And what exactly do you mean by that?"

She could hear his foot steps. He was trying to get her off the ledge again. She had to stop him.

"Take one more step and I swear I'll jump."

"Okay fine. I won't come near you, but can you tell me a story."

"You have got to be fucking kidding me. I don't have time for this."

"Fine no stories. "

"Answer my question."

"I think you're going about this the wrong way."

"You're just saying that so I won't jump."

"Maybe I am, Maybe i'm not. If you jump you'll never know."

"I guess I'll never know than."

"No!" Damon screamed as she jumped.

While she was flying through the air a vision of her and Jeremy playing while they were younger flashed through her eyes. She was so happy back than. Don't worry Jeremy I'll be there with you soon. Elena thought.

Elena gasped as the impact hit her. Only it wasn't cement that she had fallen on. She opened her eyes and stared up at the church roof where the guy who had tried to save her was exhaling. How the hell was she still here right now?

She looked to the side to see a sea of red only it wasn't blood. They had saved her with one of those things she had only seen on TV. He knew I he distracted her they would have enough time to get it without her noticing. That fucking bastard.

Strong hands pulled at her as she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"I hate you!" she screamed up at him. "I hate you! Let me go! You don't understand! I have to be with them! I have to!"

She felt something sharp prick her back before she collapsed back in her mothers arms and the world went black.


	4. Chapter 4

21 Seconds

Chapter 4

Elena had repeated the words in her head multiple times in the past six weeks since she had committed suicide for the first time. It was more her own personal mantra now than it was just words, but people who had never felt grief before in their lives would never understand her mantra. They claim that they're are five stages of grief. Those stages had been like an old friend to Elena in these past six weeks, but what they forget to tell you is that they never truly go away. They claim that the last stage is acceptance, but they never tell you that they're arr multiple stages of acceptance in the grief process. They never tell you that the grief process sticks with you for the rest of your life. Like a bruise that no one can see but you still feel everyday.

Elena pulled up her sleeve and traced the words that were now embedded in her skin. She now had multiple tattoos in memorial to her friends and brother and even the guy who saved her, but this one by far meant the world to her. People had stared at her in a demeaning way when she showed off her tattoos. But she didn't see them as a waste of money and damage to her body. No she had seen them as badges of honor hiding her scars that were no longer visible to the public eye. Well at least her bruises and scratches to be exact. She still had to endure multiple hours of psychical therapy for her legs, but things were supposed to get worse before they got better and boy did she ever feel the worse in her past six weeks of existing without her friends. The memories of when she woke up from her attempted suicide still plagued her to this day. It was another stage of grief that they never told you about. The stage that was the deadliest of them all. The stage of guilt.

Elena had never liked hospitals that much ever since she had turned five years old. They had always terrified her because she knew that sometimes people didn't make it out of there alive, so when she broke her arms after falling out of a tree when she was five they had arrived to the emergency room in a panic, she remembered the pain she felt when they snapped her arm back into place and the horrific smell of cleaners when she had entered a room that was all her own. She swore that she would never forget that smell again and now moments after trying but mostly failing to end her life she smelled it again. Why the hell had they brought her to the hospital when they knew she was physically alright. Well except for her legs that would never be one hundred percent again, but for right now that was the least of her concerns. Right now she was in the hospital when she should have been reunited with her friends, Reunited with the people that would still be alive if it wasn't for her stupid suggestion to have the best summer ever. Stupid. Stupid girl. She really should have known better.

Still as she laid still in her hospital bed, she had still not gotten around to opening her eyes. She did not want to see the faces of her mother and father when she already knew they were disappointed in her and she already knew they were in there with her. Besides the putrid smell of cleaners in the room she had smelled the familiar scent of her mother's perfume that she had sprayed on every morning and the smell of her father's shaving cream that he had used to shave this morning before they had went to the funeral home to bury her brother. A memory she wished she could erase as well as the memory of her friends being dead in the first place. Why had God punished her this way? What had she ever done wrong to deserve such a fate like this? She guessed there was only one way to find out.

Proceeding with caution, she opened her eyes as the blinding light flooded them. Ugh. Another thing she hated about hospitals were that they were insistent on having too many damn lights. Did they want to burn out her cornea's?

Once she adjusted to the light she looked around the room until she found the two people that she was searching for. Here mom and dad. She didn't know how much time had passed since she had been there, but she could tell it had at least been for a couple of hours seeing as how her parents hadn't bothered of changing out of their funeral clothes. She looked at the clock. It was now eight pm. It looked like she had been out for most of the day. When she tried to sit up she couldn't. Her breaths got shorter when she realized she couldn't move what so ever. What had happened to her body? She knew she hadn't been one hundred percent but she hadn't thought it would be this bad. She had just had the wind knocked out of back there. Or had that really been apart of her imagination? Had she succeed in jumping off the building and hitting the concrete bellow only to wake up paralyzed from the neck down. God, why was God punishing her so much lately. She was about to have a complete break down before her mother noticed her struggling and touched her hand, but how had she felt that?

After a few deep breaths to steady her heartbeat she looked down and noticed the restraints on her arms. Why the hell was she in these? These were only for crazy people and criminal masterminds. Not for her. No these couldn't be for her. This was just some fucking nightmare that she was going to wake up from soon. Only she hadn't. And these were going to be her only friends for the next seventy two hours.

After she had calmed down enough her mother had explained that they had brought her to the hospital after her 'accident' and had placed her on a 72 hour psychiatric hold until they assumed that she was sane enough to go back home with her parents. Her mother had also explained that she was not going to let her off that easily. The rest of her six weeks of freedom for the summer were going to be spent on touring colleges for after high school and going to see a physical therapist and a real one. She said that she would not lose her only child if she could help it and that had laid heavily on Elena's mind ever since.

It was in her mind now as she watched the clock in her therapists office. She had to admit that therapy had helped some, but not as much as her ink therapy did or her new found love for slam poetry or even the crazy fact that she was planning on going on the senior trip to Rome after she graduated from high school. Her friends would have wanted her to go, but she would be lying if she had said that she was truly okay now. She still wasn't. She till felt guilt for waking up each morning without them. She still felt guilt when she looked into either her mother or father's eyes. She still felt guilt when she opened her jack and jill bathroom to expose her brother's room. A room where he would never sleep again. It still hadn't been touched. She guessed she wasn't the only one still grieving. But she be damned if her therapist didn't make her feel like she was. She was the only one that was actually in therapy after all, but she guessed that this was the punishment she had deserved for trying to kill herself six weeks ago.

She sighed as she watched the hands of the clock tick. Her therapist had just asked her yet another question, but she felt as if they had covered all this material before. Why did she even have to be in therapy anymore. She knew she fucked up at the church but she would be damned if she let one moment of weakness define her for the rest of her life like her therapist was implying.

"So Elena tell me about the accident?"

Elena sighed trying to form the words that were around her lips like she had done so many times in the past weeks. Why did her therapist keep on asking her the same by the book questions. Didn't she ever want to know about anything else?

"I already told you that it only comes to me in bits and pieces, but ia lways remember the life drained from all their faces and I still remember the guy with the blue eyes."

"The guy who saved you more than once."

"Well we already established that I didn't want to be saved the second time."

"And why was that?"

"I already told you that I shouldn't be here. I don't know why I still am?"

"And why is that?"

"I don't know you're the doctor why don't you tell me."

"You know for a fact that's not how therapy works Elena. You have to find out the answer to the question all by yourself."

Elena rolled her eyes as she paced the floor. She wished that this session would pick up the pace or else she would be late. And she had way too much to do today to afford being late.

"What about your friends?

"What about them. They're dead after all."

"They were still your friends."

"What do they have to do with this?"

"Are you still mad at them?"

"I'm not mad at anyone."

"That's a lie and you know it Elena. Anger is one of the stages of grief or have you not read your arm in a while."

Elena sighed looking down at the five stages of grief on her arm. She still had a long way to go to reach acceptance, but she knew that she had skipped the anger stage together. This was no ones fault. Why would she feel mad about that.

"Well I must have skipped it. Can we talk about more important things now."

"Okay well do you want to talk about how you haven't accepted your friends deaths yet or how you refuse to acknowledge that why you attempted to take your life."

"Neither. I've already talked enough about those to you. I need to move on with my life and my future."

"You can not move on with your future until you accept your past Elena."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough. So tell me what you're going to do today?"

Elena sighed. Why had her parents gave her such a quack for a doctor. She would talk to them about it if she ever got home today. After all it had seemed like she had been going home less and less now a days.

"Well first off I'm going back to school today."

"Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"The school might bring up quite a few unpleasant memories for you."

"I doubt that, but as I was saying, I'm going to school than I have my psychical therapy session before I go into my internship for one of the new and upcoming fashion designers than I'm going to my poetry slam before I go to another college class and than I go home."

"Well it sure seems like a hectic schedule."

"It keeps me busy."

"Are you sure there's not anything you left out?"

Elena bit her lip referring from telling her therapist that she usually practiced tattoos at one of the locals tattoo shops before she went to the cemetery and talked with each one of her friends for hours. After all there was some things she would like to keep away from her therapist and those two specific things were the only private things that she was still holding onto.

"Nope not at all."

Her therapist smiled as if she knew all her secrets before the clock chimed signaling the end of her session. She grabbed her backpack in relief as she headed towards the door.

"Have a good day Elena."

Elena smiled at her therapist before leaving the office to go to school.

There was one good thing about working for a future fashion icon and that was the clothes. After her friends had died and she had attempted suicide Elena had thrown herself into a lot of different things and one of those was fashion. She had to admit that on the inside she was a mess. There was still a huge whole in her heart where her friends used to be, but that didn't mean she wanted to show that to the whole world. Much less a whole entire high school. So instead of the broken girl that everyone expected her to be she would be a new confident person that she was trying to become. Nothing would stop her now. If she kept telling herself that she knew it would come true eventually well at least she hoped it would.

She clutched her bag tightly as she walked up the steps of her high school. The halls were crowded like they usually were at this time of day and she had to admit that having every eye on her was uncomfortable, but she wouldn't let it break her down. She couldn't. Everyone had always seen her as the strong one of the group and she wasn't going to let that reputation go down anytime soon.

She picked up her pace as she made it to her first class. If this had been a normal day and if she were still alive Caroline would be siting beside her making her life at her semi obnoxious jokes, but instead of somehow thinking that this was all a nightmare and seeing Caroline sitting where she usually would sit she saw another guy in her assigned place. Who the hell did he think he was? She had obviously not seen him around before or else he would not be disrespecting her friends spot like that. Well there was one thing she knew for sure. There was no way in hell that she would let him get away with it.

Pushing her shoulders back and putting a look on her face that she knew scared others, Elena strutted towards the guy who had taken Caroline's spot and slammed her hands on the desk slightly narrowing her eyes at him ready to tear this guy a new one. She had to admit that he was somewhat cute, but she wouldn't let that stop her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The guy smirked slightly as he looked both ways and than looked back at her.

"Well I'm not sure but I'm assuming I'm sitting here. What I don't understand is why you're so bothered by it."

"Because that's my friends spot."

"Well I don't see them around so I'm going to assume I can sit here until they show up if that's alright with you."

She bit her lip, but didn't say anything as she took her seat. Who did that cocky son of a bitch think he was anyway.

Elena sat in her desk steaming as the class period continued. When class was over the guy stood by her and smiled.

"I guess your friend never showed up."

Elena smiled at him refusing to show him how hurt she truly was. What he didn't know was that Caroline would never show up again.

"Yeah I guess she didn't."

Before he could say anything else she was gone before someone had dared to see the tears that were now forming in her eyes.

Elena threw her book bag in her car as she grabbed her keys. She still hated driving it, but she knew she couldn't be freaked out by cars forever, so she continued to drive it even though she had a slight mini panic attack every time she did. But that was the least of her worries right now. She hated every part of school without her friends in it and now she was glad it was over.

Before she could climb into her car she heard a voice call out her name. She turned around and saw the guy from her first class running towards her. What the hell did he want?

"What do you want?" she said echoing her irritation.

"I wanted to apologize for the way I acted earlier. I swear I didn't know about your friends."

"Well now you do, now if you don't mind I'm late for something."

"Wait."

"What"

"I'm sorry okay, what if we just started over. I'm Stefan Salvatore. I'm new to town." he said extending his hand.

"Whatever. I'm Elena."

She shook his hand and than let it go.

"Well I hope to see you around Elena."

Elena shrugged and got in her car leaving Stefan behind to his thoughts.

Elena made her way into her new physical therapist office. Since her injuries were less severe now they had switched her to a less challenging one that cost a lot less money. She had to admit that she would miss her first one, but she hoped that whoever this Damon Salvatore was would be good.

She opened the doors to his gym and stopped dead in her tracks, because she wasn't seeing just the guy everyone knew as Damon Salvatore. She was seeing the guy who had saved her.


	5. Chapter 5

21 Seconds

Chapter 5

Shallow breaths passed through Elena's lips as she stared at the guy who had saved her. The guy who had made her the sole survivor of the car crash. Memories triggered in her mind as she smelled the lingering smell of burned tires and twisted metal. Broken glass shattered in her ears and blood there was so much blood.

She had to get out of this vision. She had to find something to pull her back. But how?

"Elena." his voice drifted passed her ears waving the memory a little bit, but it was still going strong.

"Take my hand." she told them.

Bodies there were bodies everywhere.

A hand reached out and grabbed hers.

"Elena. Elena you're not there anymore."

"Blood. It's everywhere. They-they're all dead. Everyone is dead."

A hand creased her face.

"I know."

"It's my fault. All my fault."

Tears fell down her face as she felt the invisible hand wipe her face.

"Elena I know it's hard, but I need you to focus on the sound of my voice. Can you do that?"

Elena nodded not trusting her voice as she saw the blood intertwining in Caroline's blonde curls. She loved that hair.

"You're not there anymore Elena."

"What? Of course I'm here I see them all. I'm in the car. I'm trapped. I-I can't move."

"No Elena listen. This is your PTSD trying to trick you, but you're not there anymore Elena. You're here. You're here in physical therapy. You're here with me and you're safe all I need you to do is close your eyes and let them fade away can you do that?"

"Yes." Elena said closing her eyes

When she opened them she was on the floor with Damon nearly a couple of inches away from her holding her hand so tightly that he thought that he might break it if he squeezed any harder.

Taking in a deep breath, Elena pulled her hand away from Damon's and tried to stand up wobbling slightly. Sometimes her legs worked just fine and there were other days where they would wobble and she would lose control sometimes. She could still feel the pain if it was bad enough. Thankfully during this attack there wasn't one.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked looking at her with concern.

"It's you. You're the man who saved me. Not once, but twice."

"I know. I was asking if you were okay."

"I am now."

"Good. I would hate it if you got hurt on my watch."

"What do I look like to you some damsel in distress?"

"Far from it actually. Can you still do therapy today or do you think you need to sit this one out?"

"I'll do therapy if you answer a few questions for me first."

Damon sighed and sat down in one of the chairs gesturing for her to sit in the one across from him. Elena sighed and took the seat across from him.

"What did you want to ask?"

"Why were you there that day?"

"Which day?"

"Both. I would like you to start from the beginning if you could. Some memories are there with startling clarity well others are foggy. It would be nice to gain some perspective."

"Are you sure you're ready to know?"

Elena nodded her head not willing to trust her voice in case words had seemed to fail her again. She needed to hear this if she was truly going to start moving on.

"On the day I saw you and your friends crash I was on my way to work-"

"What were you doing out on that dirt road when you could have used the road's into the city?"

"Sometimes it's not about the destination Elena. Sometimes it's the journey. I like taking that route to work because city traffic can be crazy at times."

"Fair enough. What did you see?"

"You."

"What?"

"I saw you. I heard a loud crash, so I sped up a little bit to see the car turned over and you crawling out into the road."

Elena gulped as she remembered seeing Caroline on the road. Had he seen her too?

"What else did you see?"

"Not much else. I saw you and rushed over where I saw that girl. We talked briefly before I called 911. The only other thing I saw besides you and the car was the other girl beside you."

"The one with glass in her back."

He nodded not seeming to find the words of what he really wanted to say. He was probably afraid that if he told her too much she would try something drastic again.

"I went to the hospital with you." he said abruptly making her spiral out of her thoughts.

"What ?"

"I followed the ambulances to the hospital. I had to make sure you guys were okay."

"But we weren't. Or at least they weren't. Is that why you came to my brother's funeral? To make sure I was okay?"

" That was a part of it yes, but not all of it. I came to your brother's funeral, because in a way I felt like I let you down."

"How so?"

"If I would have got there sooner perhaps some of your friends would be alive."

"21 seconds."

"What?"

"That's how long it took my friends to die. How long it took for my life to change forever."

"Perhaps we should get back to physical therapy. After all you're only here for so long."

Elena nodded not bothering to protest. After all her sessions were only suppose to last for an hour and they had been talking for at least twenty minutes. It was time to get to work. And the rest, Well that could at least wait until later...

When five o clock rolled around, Elena packed up her stuff throwing a quick goodbye to Damon before she headed out of the psychical therapy center and out in the crowded streets where she walked past many tempting things in order to get to her job that her mother had forced her to take in order to get some normalcy in her life. Although working for Lexi Branson was anything, but boring. Both loving and daring, Lexi was the perfect boss with the most killer work ethic that Elena had ever seen. She wasn't sure how her mother had found her, but she was grateful that she did.

"Good morning Lexi." Elena said coming into her office and giving Lexi her brightest smile usually Lexi was cheerful, but today seemed different.

"What's up?"

"They're here."

"Who."

"Our new models that the agency sent over. I'm going to have to have you get them ready since April called in."

Elena nodded trying to contain her excitement. Usually she was behind a desk, but today she was in front of the scenes. She couldn't wait.

Smiling broadly from ear to ear, Elena made her way to where her boss had instructed her to go and stopped dead in her tracks. Usually Elena was used to seeing beautiful people, but these people that were in this room were a couple of the most beautiful people she had ever seen.

Elena stared at the six people inhabiting the room in awe taking in each one of them who was beautiful in their own way. The first person of the group was a slightly older gentlemen that gazed at Elena with a cold stare as if she would never be good enough to match such true beauty. And she had to admit that no matter how obnoxious this man turned out to be that she had never seen anyone so gorgeous well almost...

She shook her head tearing her thoughts away from the one person who kept on saving her and back to the man before her. This man stood tall with confidence that Elena only wished that she could possess. His tall six foot frame towered over her as she gazed up into a set of crystal blue eyes that could make any girl swoon along with his blonde hair that reminded her of wheat and a strong set of facial features. It wasn't hard for Elena to imagine how he was a model.

Still Starstruck Elena extended her hand out to the man in greeting and introduced herself like Lexi had told her to do. Subtle, but nothing too forwards or excitable.

"Hello, my name is Elena Gilbert and I'll be assisting you all today so anything you need just let me know." she ended with one of her smiles that Lexi had approved of.

The man smiled at her but made no effort to shake her hand or even halfway acknowledge her.

"The name is Julian love and you better get used to it if you'll be working with us."

Elena didn't let her smile falter as one of the models stepped up to Julian and slipped her hand into his. She looked older than the other woman in the room, but there was something about her that was still so stunning. And there was something in her eyes that made Elena feel as if she had seen her somewhere before.

"You have to forgive Julian for his hospitality, he doesn't really get out much. The name is Lilly, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Lily was yet another confident woman that Elena had met and was about three inches shorter than Julian at a height of five foot seven. Her long dark brown hair swept across her shoulders and there was something in her blue eyes that looked oddly familiar. Elena knew better than to ask questions, but there was something inside of her that simply had to know.

"I'm sorry, but have we met before."

A puzzled look crossed across Lily's face as she shook her head.

"No, I don't believe we have unless you've meet my ex-husband or my two sons that he ever hardly lets me see even though one is an adult and old enough to make his own decisions."

Julian squeezed Lily's hand as she smiled towards him reassuring him that she was okay, but there was something in her eyes that just didn't let that smile go to them. Something that must still haunt her to this day, so Elena thought it would be best to ask any more questions. Lily had obviously been through enough.

"I'm sorry I asked such a personal question. Forget I asked anything and we can resume with the introductions."

Lily nodded thankful as one of the other girls walked up to Elena with a thankful look that she hadn't been stupid enough to push something.

"Allow me to be the first to take a crack at it. I'm Valerie."

Elena observed Valerie as she had done the others and smiled. Valerie was only an inch taller than Lily and had dirty blonde hair with blue eyes like Julian had even though Elena saw that there was no real family resemblance there.

"It's nice to meet you Valerie."

Valerie smiled and stepped away as two of the other girls walked hand in hand. Elena had worked here long enough to know that these two were an item and she was completely fine with that. One of the girls looked loving at the other, her blonde hair swept pass her shoulders and a hint of danger was in her green eyes but softened when the other girl squeezed her hand. This girl seemed like the complete opposite of the other with a tanner complexion and hair that was a darker shade of brown. The only thing that seemed to be the same about them were there eye color, but there was something that shinned brighter in this girls' eyes.

The blonde spoke as she drew the shorter girl closer to her.

"Hello, I'm Mary-Louise and this is my girlfriend, Nora."

"It's nice to meet the both of you."

Mary-Louise gave Elena a sly smile as she looked her up and down not seeming to be all that impressed as Nora fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"You'll have to forgive Mary-Louise, she isn't known for being the most subtle."

Mary-Louise narrowed her eyes slightly as a man stepped between them not saying a word, but seemed to reach the message to both of them as he subsided them and extended his hand out to Elena.

"This is Beau." Nora said making Elena confused.

Why hadn't he introduced himself?

"Obviously this girl doesn't know much about us." Julian sneered causing Lily to give a sharp look.

"What is he talking about?" she asked shaking Beau's hand.

"Beau was involved in a car accident some years ago that caused him to become mute when a shard of glass cut through his vocal chords. " Lily explained suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

Elena nodded in understatement. This was not the time or place to mention her won accident.

"It's nice to meet you."

Beau squeezed her hand as if he could see right past her troubling smile and just as soon dropped it. Elena exhaled a deep breath as she smiled at the group trying to collect herself. This was her moment and she wouldn't let her PTSD get the best of her no matter how much it was fighting to tear itself out.

Before Elena could say anything else, the doors flew open causing them all to turn their heads as Lexi strolled in with an effortless beauty looking like every bit of a model as the people before her. Elena only wished she could be as beautiful as these people as she gripped a piece of her brown hair running it through her fingers like she always did when she was nervous.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I was handling a few last minute details."

They all stared at Lexi as she sat down her camera and smiled.

"Shall we begin?"

When the shoot was over, Elena shook the hands of the models as they left and Lexi closed the door letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God they're gone." Lexi said sounding relieved.

Elena gave her a puzzled look, except Julian and sometimes Mary-Louise the others seemed pretty fine to her.

"Sometimes they're a handful, Today, However, They seemed quite pleasant. And I think I owe most of that to you."

"To me? I didn't really do much."

"You did more than you think you did and with that I think it's time for you to go to your other job."

Elena glanced at the clock dumbfounded about how late it had gotten. It had just seemed like a minute or so ago that she was introducing herself to the group now she was going off to her second job and this was one that she couldn't wait for. But first off she had another stop to make.

Saying goodbye to Lexi, Elena walked out of the double doors and into one of her favorite coffee shops where she ordered her favorite latte and sat down to enjoy one of her favorite new hobbies. Listening to slam poetry.

A young woman was on stage tossed her hair to one side as she recited her poem about love and loss making Elena have to push aside the memories of her loss once again. She hated feeling like that, but than a line in that poem made her think as she took a napkin to write it down.

Claps erupted from the coffee shop as Elena gathered her purse and slung it over her shoulder making a move to exit the coffee shop as she bumped into someone hard causing them to yelp as the contents of their coffee spilled all over them.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry." she said as she glanced up to see the face of Stefan Salvatore looking down at her. She had never been so embarrassed.

"For fuck's sake, Can you watch where you're going next time?"

"I'm sorry it was an accident."

"Well it seems like a lot of things are accidents with you."

Elena took a step back taken aback. How dare he say those types of things to her.

"Look I'm-"

Before Elena could think, she took a water by a nearby table and splashed it in his face narrowing her eyes at him.

"For the coffee." she said as she exited the coffee shop still in a whirlwind of emotions.

Pain still flashed through Elena as she tried to stop the tears while she sketched more ideas for tattoos.

The parlor was well lit with florescent light as the door chimed signaling a customer. Elena wiped away her tears, putting her pencil down so she could see who had entered the shop.

Her boss stood there with a woman in her early twenties as he motioned for Elena to come forward. Elena did as instructed and smiled at the woman trying not to show the gaggle of emotions she had been feeling.

"Elena, this is Jamie, she's volunteered to let you do her first tattoo job."

"Really?" Elena asked her excitement bubbling up to the surface.

"I think you've earned it, You've been putting in a lot of hours towards your studying here and I figured this was the next step for you."

"Thank you."

"Just don't screw up okay? I'll be there to help you if you have any questions."

Elena nodded excited as she went to Jamie and asked her a few questions about what she was looking for. After they finally established a solid plan, Elena went to work asking as many questions as possible so she was sure to give her exactly what she deserved.

After the customer was satisfied with Elena's work, she was sent off and her boss smiled at her.

"You did a good job Elena."

"Thank you sir."

"Now I think it's time for you to head home, you've done good today."

Elena nodded grabbing her stuff and heading towards the door.

"Oh and Elena-"

"Yes?"

"Try not to spend too long in the graveyard, I'm sure your parents are still concerned about you."

Elena nodded leaving with a silent goodbye.


End file.
